As father and BOPE officer, UFC on FUEL TV 2's Paulo Thiago never fights alone

Paulo Thiago isn’t a narcissist – even though his MMA and law-enforcement careers are dedicated to two things: Paulo and Thiago.

You see, Paulo and Thiago are the UFC fighter’s twin 6-year-old sons.

Thiago, who next competes this weekend at UFC on FUEL TV 2, fights for his country, he fights for his law-enforcement brethren, and he fights for his team and teammates. But above all else, he fights for his family.

“Everything in life I do for my two sons,” the Brazilian told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “Now with my job, I have the ability to provide them with a better, more comfortable future. And that renews my dedication.”

Thiago (14-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC), whose birth name is Paulo Thiago Alencar Antunes, fights for the first time since August when he meets heavy-handed welterweight Siyar Bahadurzada (20-4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC on FUEL TV 2, which takes place Saturday at Stockholm’s Ericsson Globe Arena. Thiago vs. Bahadurzada is one of six bouts on the FUEL TV-televised main card (3 p.m. ET/noon PT) following prelims on Facebook (12:30 p.m. ET).

In addition to his family, Thiago fights for one of Brazil’s most respected law-enforcement teams. As a special-forces officer with Batalhao de Operacoes Policiais Especiais (Special Police Operations Battalion) – or BOPE – he’s on the frontline with the military police’s special forces. Specialized in urban warfare, the officers root out some of Brazil’s most notorious criminals.

Recently, they’ve become national heroes thanks in part to a Brazilian film entitled “Elite Squad,” a semi-fictional account of BOPE that was a record-breaking hit domestically and internationally. In fact, in Brazil, it’s earned a cult-like following.

Despite reports that he’s no longer involved, Thiago, who became a police officer in 2003 and was accepted into BOPE in 2005, said he remains a part of the team. However, as with UFC on FUEL TV 2, he’s granted some additional time off to train and prepare for pending UFC bouts.

“I do still work at BOPE,” he said. “But as a fight date approaches, I’m given the opportunity to train more. I’m granted more breaks from work or the chance to leave earlier to engage in training. They’re very helpful.”

He admits “Elite Squad” brought all of BOPE some newfound respect.

“[We’re] called upon during extreme circumstances,” he said. “So when conventional forces can’t resolve a problem, they call BOPE. That’s always been the case. There’s also a certain mystique since BOPE’s uniform is different, all black. It’s something that gets more respect on the streets.

“After the ‘Elite Squad’ movie, there was a greater admiration because it showed the realities of being in a battalion. Some things were less than accurate, but it showed that policemen in BOPE are well trained, fully committed and uncorrupted. We have a greater loyalty to the unit, to the black uniform, than to any money, [since] our pay can be low.”

With the rigors of that job, it’d be easy to suspect Thiago has nerves of steel and isn’t fazed by fight-night jitters. However, Thiago said that’s not the case. Sure, MMA can be a welcome distraction from his day job, but he’s likely anyone else.

“I also get nervous before a fight; it’s normal,” he said. “You always feel a surge of adrenaline, but of course there’s no comparison to the rush of going on a mission. You could get shot. You could accidentally shoot an innocent bystander. So police work is a much more tense situation. Having said that, I’m a human being like everyone else, and I do feel a bit nervous before a fight. I think that’s normal.”

The nerves could be amplified on Saturday. After back-to-back losses to Martin Kampmann and Diego Sanchez, Thiago’s job was in jeopardy before he rebounded for an August victory over David Mitchell. He pulled out of a January bout with Mike Pyle because of an elbow injury (he’s 100 percent healed, he said), but now he’s looking to get back into title contention. In a UFC career that includes victories over notables such as Josh Koscheck, Jacob Volkmann and Mike Swick, a win over the well-regarded Bahadurzada could provide job security and future bookings with top contenders.

They’re part of a larger team that includes his fellow officers, family and all of Brazil.

“When entering the octagon, it’s not just Paulo Thiago,” he said. “Everyone who has helped me – my city, my country, my police battalion – I’m representing them all. I am proud of that and I aim to fight hard to represent them well.”

The Latest

Sure, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey ran through yet another opponent in less than a minute, but that wasn’t the only story that mattered at UFC 190. Relive the memorable moments from Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena.

Since the early days when the sport was anything but a mainstream endeavor, the MMA industry has thrived and survived through various websites, forums and, perhaps most importantly, social-media platforms.

In this week’s Trading Shots, Danny Downes and Ben Fowlkes look at Ronda Rousey’s 34-second victory over Bethe Correia at UFC 190 and try to put it into terms that capture the moment without getting swept away by it.

A total of 26 fighters got their chance to shine on Saturday as part of UFC 190 at Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena. Now that UFC 190 is in the books, it’s time to commence MMAjunkie’s “Three Stars” ceremony.

The man known for cranking submissions to the point of injury added eye-gouging to his repertoire. But is the controversy of Rousimar Palhares too essential to his bizarre, awful appeal for his employers to take any meaningful action against him?